Republican Fred Thompson has officially entered the New Hampshire primary.
After filing his candidacy Thompson told reporters he planned to wage an aggressive local campaign.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Josh Rogers has more.
The former Tennessee Senator says New Hampshire remains an important part of his plan to win the Republican nomination.
On his last visit here, in early September, Thompson promised voters to expect him early and often. He now jokes he was early then, and from now on, it will be often.
"The real issue is, what's the situation on Election Day? By that time, I will have shown New Hampshire the same respect that I'm showing these other states. But every time you're somewhere, that means you're not somewhere else. And you heard the old Johnny Cash song, we play it on the bus sometimes - "I've Been Everywhere, Man" - and it's not quite literally true, but it's sure going to be by the time this is over with."
Thompson's late entrance into the race is generally seen as being a handicap, particularly locally.
While most national polls show the sometime actor as being competitive with leading Republicans, polls of state GOP voters have shown him lagging well behind the top contenders.
For NHPR News, I'm Josh Rogers.
